Lying To The Moon
by Vengeful
Summary: Along in the night, she waits. And alone in the shadows, he watches. DHr


**A/N: This was written for the DHr fic exchange over at livejournal. Not much to say-big ol' angst warning. Many, many thanks to Asuri for beta'ing this for me. Without her, this would be one big train wreck.**

**I hope you enjoy. Please, leave a comment-I take all very well :). So, review!**

**Emily**

**Disclaimer:** I think that it goes without saying that I do not own this.

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Hermione Granger had never been a romantic. She was always the one to roll her eyes when she heard other girls talking about their boyfriends and how much they loved them. She had sighed whenever she witnessed two classmates tangled up in a passionate embrace, or heard two classmates declare their love for one another, cynically thinking that they didn't know the first thing about love. And when one of her fellow Gryffindors had come into her room sobbing over how she had lost her 'true love,' after she had given him all of her, Hermione had secretly wondered who would be so foolish. How could they believe that an adolescent boy actually loved them, and that they weren't being used? Hermione was a strong believer in the idea that love did not, and could not, exist for someone still young. She always vowed to herself that she would never be that stupid, and she would never abandon her integrity for some boy.

But it seemed that all of those virtues and ideas that she had held went right out the window the moment Draco Malfoy first held her in his arms. She still didn't know just how they started seeing each other, nor did she know when she decided that she was in love with him. In fact, it wasn't until recently that she realized, with horror, that she had become one of those girls.

Merlin help her.

She was a sap.

A giddy sap.

She took solace in the fact that she wasn't flaunting her relationship with the blond Slytherin all over the school. Of course, the reason for that was only the whole 'secret relationship' idea. Had they been able to date publicly, she would have acted just like all the other girls.

But such a thing was not possible, for the thought of what would happen if they were found out by anyone, on either side, was terrifying. At best they might die. At worst, they might be tortured for a long time before being killed.

Not an idea they wanted to think about.

Thanks to Hermione's private Head Girl dorm, however, it all worked out. And Draco Malfoy loved her back. She loved him. He loved her. It was perfect.

She knew that he had not been saying that he loved her to get into her knickers, for she was sure he had thought she was asleep when he uttered these words. They had been wrapped up amongst sweaty sheets, their bare limbs entwined, both still feeling the after effects of lovemaking. And just as she had been about to drift into a peaceful slumber, her breath evening out and her eyes closed, she had felt him brush his lips softly against her ear, and he had whispered those magical words.

"I love you."

Of course, being in this relationship wasn't easy. They were from completely opposite backgrounds. He was the arrogant Slytherin, she the sweet and kind Gryffindor. Her friends hated him, and his friends and family not only hated her and everything she stood for, but wanted her dead. So naturally, all of this would not make for a very nice family reunion.

But still, they were young, smart, and most importantly, in love. Those situations always resolved themselves.

She had no reason to believe any word he said, or to trust him. But she had, and she actually believed that he had changed.

But now, now she wasn't so sure.

He asked her to meet him under a huge willow tree that sat on the grounds at Hogwarts. It was in an area not many people knew about. It would give them privacy, which was something they needed. They were to meet at dusk, to see the sun set. Hermione had shown up early, for in her mind, there was nothing more romantic than watching the sun set with your lover. She smiled, for this was pure bliss. In an uncharacteristic show of giddiness, she twirled around, in the shade of the willow. She grinned as the wind blew her hair every which way, and she hoped that it would keep up its blistery cycle, for she couldn't wait to see how Draco would look with his pale hair mussed up by the wind.

She checked her watch and frowned slightly. He should have been here fifteen minutes ago. But then again, he wasn't really known for his time management skills. She closed her eyes, wallowing in the feel of the cool breeze gently kissing her face. She looked back at the watch some time later.

Thirty minutes had now gone by. Hermione felt a pinch of nervousness inside her belly. She shook her head, willing herself to ignore the doubt that was gnawing at her mind.

And than an hour had passed. A full hour ago, he should have met her here. Yet he was nowhere to be seen, and the sun was quickly setting.

"Wait," she whispered softly, the soft array of colors best associated with the setting sun started to meld into darkness.

And then it was gone, despite her pleas for it to wait, and the blanket of stars had replaced the beautiful colors of sunset. It had been a good hour and a half, now. And Draco said he would be here!

_No, he won't_ she could swear she heard the sky whispered. She looked up.

"He promised me he would be here and he will come!" she declared. But as another hour passed, she started to doubt her own words. That little voice of reason that she had tried to ignore was becoming louder, and more forceful. Her legs weakened as she started shaking ever so slightly. What if he was hurt? Or ill?

Or what if…what if he lied?

She suddenly felt short of breath as she thought about her situation. She had trusted him, with no good reason. He told her he loved her, and she believed him. But what if none of it was true? Didn't he understand that she needed him? She needed his love?

She was brought out of her thoughts by footsteps. She looked up, her heart fluttering.

"Draco?" she called out hopefully.

"Not quite."

Her heart dropped and she groaned. "Harry…I…" the moon lighted the spot, allowing her to see the dark haired boy approach her.

"Hermione, what in the world are you doing? It's late, and we haven't seen you in a good three hours." Suddenly, it hit Harry. "Hermione, please tell me you are not waiting for him."

The guilty expression on her face said it all.

"He was supposed to meet me here, three hours ago. He promised." Her voice seemed to come from someone else. "He promised me. He won't let me down. He loves me."

Here she paused, knowing how silly she sounded, how naïve and stupid her whole situation with Draco seemed. Nevertheless, she continued.

"I know it seems silly, that I should believe him, but he does! And he will be here. He will be here, because we are in love, and as long as we are in love, things will work out! I know that the idea of a forbidden relationship sounds like it can't work, but it will. It always does!"

"What about Romeo and Juliet?" Harry just had to ask.

"Forget about them!" she yelled.

"How long? How long have you been seeing him, Hermione"? Harry tried to control his tone, but nevertheless, his voice was still laced with anger. The whole idea that Hermione, of all people, could be involved with Draco Malfoy was ludicrous. How could she have lied to all of her friends? And the worst part about the whole thing was she seemed thoroughly convinced of Malfoy's love for her. Harry wasn't sure if he should be angered, disappointed, or sympathetic. He decided to settle for a mixture of all of the above.

"Since the beginning of school. I'm sorry, I know I should have told you but we couldn't! Draco and I had to keep it a secret. What if his father found out about us? Maybe that is why he isn't here. Oh Harry…"

"Hermione…" It was Harry's tone that made Hermione finally come to grips with what had been lurking unsaid.

She couldn't move, couldn't speak, as her mind finally connected the pieces. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks, weakening her legs. She felt sick, guilty, and stupid. She could feel the stars, the moon, the willow laughing at her. They laughed at the thought of her believing that Draco Malfoy really loved her.

She supposed had her suspicions, especially in the beginning. But he had been such a…a prince! She had ignored her better instincts, deciding for once in her life to take a chance.

And look how it had turned out.

So here she was, desperate for him, desperate for his touch, his love. Alone, unloved, feeling like the words biggest fool. And still, she ached for him. Wanted him, _loved_ him. A small part of her refused to believe Harry, wanting to believe that he would not lie to her, that he would appear to her any moment now. But that part was now overruled by her rational mind, and she knew he would not be coming.

"Oh no."

"Hermione…"

"No, no, _no_

"Hermione, I know…"

She had, up to this point, been struggling to keep her composure. But it was too much to bear.

"Harry, you don't understand. I love him! Okay? I believed every word he said. _Every last word_. I gave him my heart, body, and soul. Don't you see I need him? _I need him."_

She was no longer addressing just Harry, but addressing some invisible surrounding force. Tears streamed down her face as she broke into sobs. Harry said nothing, for what could he say? He most certainly couldn't yell at her, not in this state. So he simply wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to sob into his shoulder. And as she cried, he made a silent vow: he would kill Malfoy. Kill him for breaking her heart, lying to her. Kill him for touching her. Wherever he was, He would find him.

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As it was, Draco Malfoy was not far away. With the help of a pair of binoculars, he could see Granger from his spot, perched high above the Hogwarts grounds upon his broom. He had seen the myriad of emotions that ran through her face, from elated (as she had been when she first showed up to meet him) to bored (as she had been after an hour waiting) to confused (an hour and a half) to angry (two hours) to worried (two and a half hours) and finally, after three and a half hours, heartbroken as she realized that she was waiting in vain. He had then observed her as Potter himself showed up, and the shocked look on the dark haired boy's face when Granger had undoubtedly called out Draco's own name, the hope that he would show up returned for but a brief moment.

He had no doubt that Granger had told Potter about him, and their relationship (well, former relationship). The comforting hug and angry expression on the boys face had proved Draco right in this thought, and left no doubt in his mind that he was really in trouble if Potter ever caught him in the halls, as Potter was fiercely protective of his friend as was willing to hex anyone within an inch of their lives if they broke her heart (which, apparently, judging by Granger's actions, he had managed to do).

It hadn't really been his intent to break her heart, nor to gain her trust in any way. He had merely wanted to see if he could maybe find some weakness of hers, something that he could one day give to the Dark Lord in exchange for his life, as the Dark Lord was fond of turning on Death Eaters. He had found that weakness quickly: love. But he wasn't going to share that with the Dark Lord. Not now, not ever. It wasn't love that made him decide this, for he had not fallen in love with the girl. It was pity. Pity for her and her situation.

Hermione Granger was not the kind of girl men fell in love with. She was not ugly, but she was not pretty enough to make much of an impression on anyone. While she was brilliant, something some men found attractive, there were other girls nearly as smart as she, and much prettier. Draco had found that while she had a nice personality to those who knew her well, on the surface she seemed like a person you would want little to do with.

She had few qualities to make her a target for any man, and as a result, she obviously had never felt loved.

It was quite sad, really, Draco thought. She had believed every word he said, had fallen right into the whole 'say I love you while pretending to think she's asleep when she's not' trap It was something that worked every time.

Still, she was too vulnerable, to trusting. This was war, and to put all your faith into someone with a record such as his was a death sentence. She should have known better.

And as he thought that thought, Hermione too was mentally berating herself for ever trusting him.

She should have known better than to trust Draco Malfoy when he told her he loved her.

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**A/N: Please, tell me what you thought. Constructive criticism welcome. Hell, any review welcome, come to think of it.**

**Emily**

**A/N 2: If you saw this story go up, and then go away, and then come up again, it is because I had forgotten to put the pairing. I fear a few of those who ship other HP ships that have me on their alerts might have been very upset to find that they were reading a DHr. But it is all good now.**

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